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Duty Calls

an Android body-worn camera interface designed for fast evidence capture and clear system status in high-stress fieldwork.

role ⇾ UI/UX Designer – media access, security, & system status
team ⇾ 4 designers
timeline ⇾ 7 weeks (January 2026 – March 2026)
device ⇾ android wearable device (Body Worn Camera)

 

goal ⇾ design a body-worn camera interface that enables public safety officers to quickly capture evidence while clearly communicating recording status and device readiness in high-stress situations.

problem

public safety officers operate in fast-moving environments where seconds matter and their body-worn cameras must allow them to capture evidence instantly, confirm that recording is active, and trust that the device is functioning properly without requiring complex interaction.

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however, body-worn cameras also handle sensitive evidence and must comply with regulatory requirements, including visible recording indicators and secure data handling.

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the challenge was to design a system that allows officers to capture and manage evidence quickly while reducing cognitive load, and ensuring that critical device states are always clear within a small wearable interface.

conceptMap.png

users

designed for:

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  • police first responders

  • highway patrol officers

  • corrections officers

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they operate in high-stress, unpredictable environments and require interfaces that prioritize speed, clarity, and minimal interaction.

 

device must support their primary task—capturing reliable evidence—without distracting from the situation around them.

Screenshot 2026-03-04 at 1.05.07 AM.png

constraints

design was shaped by real constraints:

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  • small display â‡¾ 3.2" touchscreen (360 × 640 px)

  • hardware controls â‡¾ push-to-talk button, emergency button, recording slider, programmable buttons, volume toggle, and power button

  • regulatory requirements â‡¾ visible recording indicators, optional covert mode

  • field reliability â‡¾ the system must function consistently in high-risk situations

 

with these constraints we had to prioritize essential information & designing interactions that work seamlessly with both touchscreen and hardware controls.

my role

⇾ media access

⇾ security

⇾ system status

i focused on designing features that ensure officers can always see and verify device readiness in the field, access evidence and organize it, and device security.

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my responsibilities included:

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  • password authentication flow

  • media browsing (view all recordings & individual media files)

  • creating reports from selected media

  • cloud upload status indicators

  • media metadata display (automatically captured information)

  • system status visibility

    • battery level & low-battery

    • signal & connectivity status

    • storage capacity & low-storage management

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these features ensure that officers can trust the device state and quickly access evidence when needed.

process timeline

research ⇾ concept map ⇾ task analysis ⇾ sketches ⇾ wireframes ⇾ prototype â‡¾ testing â‡¾ iteration

research & ux brief

we began by defining the project scope and researching the body-worn camera ecosystem.

this included reviewing academic research, policy documentation, and existing BWC systems to understand operational requirements, regulatory constraints, and common usability challenges.

concept mapping

we created a concept map to visualize how different system components interact, including device states, recording behaviors, alerts, metadata capture, and reporting workflows.

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this helped define the information architecture of the system and clarify how core features connect.

task analysis

​key taks officers do in BWC:

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  • pre-shift readiness: officers power on the device, log in, and verify battery, signal, storage, and camera functionality before beginning their shift.

  • evidence capture during incident: recording must start instantly using the recording slider or hardware buttons. Clear indicators must confirm that recording is active.

  • evidence review & documentation: after incidents, officers review media, verify metadata, tag recordings, and organize evidence for reporting​

ideation.png

ideation

early sketches explored how to communicate recording status and system state within a small wearable interface.

wireframes

annotated wireframes defining recording states, system feedback, and evidence navigation.

wireframes.png
Screenshot 2026-03-04 at 1.54.39 AM.png

style guide

style & components used in the last version of our prototypes.

prototype

Key workflows included:

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  • Login and authentication

  • Device readiness verification

  • Recording video and capturing photos/audio

  • Emergency alerts and notifications

  • Viewing and tagging captured media

  • Uploading media to the cloud

  • Organizing evidence into reports

prototype.png

testing & iteration

testing revealed several areas where the design needed to better reflect real device behavior, so we implemented several improvements:

hardware-first interaction model

interactions triggered by physical buttons (emergency, push-to-talk, recording, home & picture buttons).

simplified tagging workflow

reduced tagging to a single step when viewing media.

incident-based reporting

reports feature that allows officers to group multiple media files under a single incident and attach notes.

reduced authentication friction

authentication occurs once when accessing the device rather than every time a media file is opened.

clear recording indicators

hardware LED indicators to confirm recording and emergency states.

expanded metadata visibility

included location, officer ID, device ID, file details, and timestamps.

design decisions

hardware-first interaction:
officers often interact with the device without looking at the screen. Critical actions such as recording and emergency alerts rely on hardware controls rather than complex navigation.
 

clear recording confidence:
recording indicators must be unmistakable. Hardware LEDs and clear UI feedback ensure officers know when recording is active.


incident-based evidence organization:
grouping media into reports aligns the interface with real investigation workflows.
 

reduced workflow friction:

implifying authentication and tagging allows officers to access and organize evidence quickly during time-sensitive situations.

outcome

the final prototype delivers a streamlined body-worn camera interface designed for real-world public safety workflows.

 

the system supports:

  • fast evidence capture

  • clear device state visibility

  • secure media access

  • incident-based evidence organization

 

while respecting hardware constraints and regulatory requirements.

takeaways

designing for high-stress environments reinforced the importance of clarity and speed over feature complexity.

 

integrating hardware device controls significantly improved the realism of the interface and aligned the design with how BWCs are used in the field.

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we learned that reducing friction is critical.

 

by simplifying tagging & removing repeated authentication, the workflow efficiency during time-sensitive tasks improved.

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